Redemption

[pensnest]

In which the Boy goes to a Social Event, and actually enjoys it!



Yes. Twas a busy week, last week, what with visiting my Pa on Tuesday (he was looking forward very much to moving into a nursing home on Friday, Getting Out Of Hospital being a major goal for him and Yaya), and taking Boy to Nottingham University on Wednesday (he has decided, I think, that it is Not The Place For Him, with which I concur, even though it is an excellent university). On Thursday we Achieved Josephine! ie, the person who showed up and auditioned has a *fantastic* voice and understands just how to play the character. So all we need now is a leading man.

Friday involved getting stuff sorted for Redemption. I collected Boy from school so that he might come home and get changed, and we piled our selves, our stuff, and a large quantity of cardboard tubes into the car and set off up the M1.

I do like the Redemption con. Very much. Next time, perhaps Beast and I will be able to go for the whole thing, and will only have to miss Interesting Bits because we don't possess a Time-Turner (which would, this time round, have enabled me to go to Tentacle Sex as well as the Fanfic writers' workshop, and AIs in SF as well as Slash: does it count if it's canon?). It's a lovely event. The hotel is filled with wonderful people. Londo Mollari, Kosh, Darth Vader's Mother, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Kickass the Klingon, the Space Baron and several other candidates competed to be 'elected' Ruler of the Universe. (There were some 400 people attending the con. There were over 800 votes counted.) I stewarded, which just meant three sessions outside the Main Hall, checking that attendees were wearing badges and no Mundanes tried to get in. Truth to tell, most of the 'normal people' were fascinated but extremely wary, and didn't know quite where to look when someone in medieval dress, or a leather kilt, or attired as Princess Leia, wandered past.

Fandom is such a generous place. Room for anyone who wants to get involved.

I did not, on this occasion, get corrupted lured into a new and wonderful fandom. Indeed, I think I was the sole popslash representative present, though there was a cohort of crazy folk HIGNFYs and at least one LoTRips writer. RPF is of course no longer the Last Great Taboo, now that we have Supernatural. Heh. I spent quite a bit of my time in fanfic and/or slash-themed panels, and even coerced persuaded my group in the fanfic workshop to create a 'story' in blank verse - on the grounds that blank verse makes *everything* funnier, except King Lear. We only had ten minutes, after all the nattering... Meanwhile my menfolk were at Physics Mistakes in Science Fiction, Design a runabout spaceship, or How do we bridge the energy gap? Dammit, where is that Time Turner? Boy even went off to one panel on his own, to listen to the discussion about video games. He also played Twister, hunted for Tribbles, and participated in the K9 Agility Challenge. We overlapped here and there - for the costume masquerade and the cabaret, which were very good, and for the opening and closing ceremonies, and Beast and I attended a late-night panel on Religion in SF, which was amicable for a surprisingly long time...

I was really pleased that my Boy admitted to having had fun. He's so unused to socialising, I'd have been amazed if he'd participated in a more positive way, but he did *do* several things, some of them without either parent in support. Pride. I think he really enjoyed the atmosphere. By the time the next Redemption rolls around, he'll be at university, and he was a little bit wistful at the idea of not attending. And he remarked today that it felt as though he'd gone back to school after half-term (which was actually the previous week), so different was the world where we spent the weekend.

Anyway. This basically explains why I haven't been much in evidence. Did I miss anything that won't be covered in the newsletter?

Comments

[runzu.livejournal.com]

Though I'm confused about *squints* a good deal of what was happening and who was involved, it sounded you had fun! ^__^

*is working on fic*

[pensnest]

It was a multimedia science fiction convention, with lots of discussion panels, and an impressive range of other activities scheduled throughout the weekend. Was great!

[runzu.livejournal.com]

Aww, that's sounds so cool. :D The only kind of convention I've been to is an Anime one. It was hella fun, more than I thought before going. I'm not easily excitable but wow! :D

Hopefully, I'll be going again this year and for more than one day. :D

[pensnest]

Cons are good! At least, real fan-run cons with lots of stuff that is done by, with and for the fans, are good. This was a lot of fun. :-)

[runzu.livejournal.com]

Icon. <3 I can't remember his character's name, but I remember him being on the BuffyVS spin-off Angel. :D I am right, right? o__o

[pensnest]

Yep - it's Lorne. I was at a convention where Andy Halleck (sp?) was made up in full Lorne kit because one of the show's chief makeup artists was also a guest. He had about a thousand pics taken with fans on that day!

[runzu.livejournal.com]

That sounds so cool. I would've loved to have my picture taken with gangsta signs throwed up. :P I adored his character on Angel. :)

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

sounds like a a fantastic weekend :D

Redemption was a very *good* first con *pets the memory*

[pensnest]

I *like* Redemption, even though I wasn't at all in the mood until we got there.

When did you go?

[turps33.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you had a great time, and that your Boy got involved. It sounds like he went to some cool panels and activities, as did you and Beast.

This means your popslash anniversary is coming up, yes?

[pensnest]

Yes, indeed, I probably read my first popslash two years ago exactly. Or hereabouts, anyway. Wondrous are the paths of fandom.

[turloughishere.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you all had a fabulous time! Cons are so much fun and I can definitely understand the longing for a TimeTurner.

The only British con I've been to was the Eastercon in Glasgow in 2000 and while I enjoyed it in a mild way my Brit-con-veteran friends said it was a rather bad example of the fun to be had at British cons.

[pensnest]

I've not been to any of the major cons, though I'm thinking maybe next year's Eastercon, as it is to be run by the Redemption gang. Next Redemption is February 09, pity it isn't an annual event, but I suppose it's a bit more special since it's not there all the time.

I knew I'd have a good time, but I was worried that my son would decline to enjoy himself - it was so very nice that he participated, within his limits.

[rikes]

That sounds like a well-organized and fun con!

[pensnest]

Indeed it was, the committee have been running these for several years, and they really know what they're doing - and there's so much to do! Beast and Boy and I had three different experiences, but there was much else besides that none of us managed to fit in. Great stuff.

I shall have to check through the programme to see if there are some topics we can borrow for Camp Sparkle.